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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29930862">Knitting as therapy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/darter_blue/pseuds/darter_blue'>darter_blue</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Stucky ficlets - prompt challenge [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bucky Barnes Recovering, Fluff, Knitting, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but in an adorable way, its all just very adorable, knitting as therapy, steve is oblivious</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 22:15:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29930862</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/darter_blue/pseuds/darter_blue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky is using knitting as therapy. Knitting a scarf for Steve. Because Steve is Bucky's everything.</p><p>I guess nobody told Steve that though... (It would've been nice to give that big gorgeous Labrador a heads up - you know?)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Stucky ficlets - prompt challenge [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2201220</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>73</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>348</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Knitting as therapy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I have been posting some short ficlets to tumblr as part of a challenge, and I thought I might cross post them into a series on Ao3.</p><p>These are mostly very cute and fluffy.</p><p>I hope you like...</p><p>The prompt for this one (surprise surprise): Knitting</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>Bucky is going to get this right if it kills him.</p><p> </p><p>It’s not going to kill him. Nothing in the last hundred years, not the war, not Hydra, not Steve fucking Rogers and his death wish, has managed to kill Bucky so far. He’s pretty sure that this won't either.</p><p> </p><p>Then again. These needles are pretty wicked looking. Could definitely kill a man in under a second. Through the ear canal - into the brain. Nice and clean too…</p><p> </p><p>Not the point. Not the point of this exercise. The point of this exercise is to focus his mind. Is to create something soft. Is to give Bucky something to do that can empty his brain of the constant reel of images, of sounds, of a life Bucky had no control over, but was forced to watch from inside himself. A life that has wormed its way into his consciousness and taken root there.</p><p> </p><p>But knitting. He’s knitting a scarf for Steve, though god knows the walking furnace doesn’t need one. Bucky’s making it anyway. Forest green because that was his ma’s favourite colour, in a ridge rib stitch because that was the easiest stitch he could find on the internet. </p><p> </p><p>But if Bucky drops one more fucking stitch he’s going to rip this goddamn scarf into pieces. </p><p> </p><p>No, he won’t. He’s going to pick up the stitch, he’s going to work it back in. He’s going to make this scarf for Steve and it’s going to be beautiful. And actually, once he takes a breath, once he works the problem, like the video says, it’s not so bad. He can do this. He can build something beautiful.</p><p> </p><p>Until Steve comes barreling into the kitchen from the front door, ‘Hey Buck, what are you up to?’ </p><p> </p><p>And Bucky has to shove the scarf and the needles behind him on the chair, practically sitting on them. </p><p> </p><p>‘Buck?’</p><p> </p><p>‘Nothin, Stevie, nothin. How was Nat?’</p><p> </p><p>‘Buck… what are you hiding?’</p><p> </p><p>‘None of your business,’ Bucky says,trying to keep his tone light, but not wanting Steve to see his surprise before it’s finished. He wants it to be perfect before he gives it to Steve. Not this half made thing. Bucky wants it to be whole. </p><p> </p><p>‘Buck, are you… Can you not hide it from me,’ Steve says, and his eyes are shining, his shoulders are high and tight, ‘Please?’</p><p> </p><p>Stupid Steve Rogers and his stupid pretty face, and pouty lips. Bucky can’t let him look like that. Worried. Sad.</p><p> </p><p>‘Steve, you’re really a pain in my ass, you know that right?’ Bucky says, but the way Steve’s face is starting to relax as Bucky brings his hand out from behind him, the way he breathes and lets his shoulders drop. It’s worth the ruined surprise. ‘I’m just trying something new.’</p><p> </p><p>‘Is this…’ Steve reaches out to touch the wool, ‘Are you knitting?’</p><p> </p><p>‘Yeah, a scarf.’</p><p> </p><p>‘It’s beautiful,’ Steve says reverently, stroking his fingers across the soft ribbed stitching, ‘I like this colour.’</p><p> </p><p>‘It was always your Ma’s favourite,’ Bucky says, looking up at Steve and basking in that smile.</p><p> </p><p>‘Oh yeah? It looks different. Brighter… prettier.’ Steve lets it go and takes a step back, ‘Is it for someone special?’ he says, turning away to get a glass from the cabinet and fill it with water.</p><p> </p><p>‘Yeah, someone real special.’</p><p> </p><p>‘Oh yeah?’ Steve keeps going about what he’s doing but he’s side-eying Bucky something fierce, and Bucky can’t help but laugh at him.</p><p> </p><p>‘Yeah, Stevie, the most important person in my whole life actually.’</p><p> </p><p>‘Huh…’ Steve turns away, ‘Lucky lady.’</p><p> </p><p>‘Lucky guy,’ Bucky corrects him.</p><p> </p><p>And Steve turns around so sharply he smacks his head on the cabinets. ‘Guy?’ he says, putting one hand to his head, and trying and failing to hold up the broken cabinet with the other.</p><p> </p><p>‘Yeah Stevie, you’re a real lucky guy.’</p><p> </p><p>And at that Steve freezes. One eye on Bucky, the other under his hand. Bucky gets up from his chair and steps closer to Steve.</p><p> </p><p>‘Is that… does that… how do you feel about that?’ Bucky asks.</p><p> </p><p>‘Ahhh….’ Steve has his mouth open and his eye fixed on Bucky, ‘It’s for me?’</p><p> </p><p>‘Yeah, asshole the scarf is for you,’ Bucky says, close enough to wrap the half made scarf around Steve’s neck, ‘But how do you <em> feel </em>about that.’</p><p> </p><p>‘Like…’ Steve looks at Bucky and lets go of the cabinet, stepping in to let it fall down behind him, ‘Like I’ve been waiting for it for a long time, Buck.’</p><p> </p><p>And Bucky… Bucky doesn’t want to waste any more time. He doesn’t want to wait anymore. He reaches up to kiss Steve softly, just a light press of lips, and then pulls back to see Steve’s face. And the smile there is all Bucky needs to know.</p><p> </p><p>It’s everything. And Bucky is ready for it. </p><p> </p><p>He leans back in and kisses Steve again, presses deeper, opens his lips and lifts his hands to clutch at Steve, pull him impossible closer. And Steve clutches him right back. Like he’s precious. Like he’s <em> loved </em>.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Maybe… Maybe things can still be beautiful, even when they’re half unmade. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
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</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Come find me at <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/darter-blue">darter-blue</a> on tumblr</p></blockquote></div></div>
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